The Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the non-profit Impunity Watch held in March this year a two-day conference on atrocity prevention. Entitled, “Building a Common Agenda for Prevention in the Western Balkans”, the conference took place in Montenegro’s capital of Podgorica. The conference gathered representatives from civil society across the ex-Yugoslav region and beyond. This was a conference with a multi-pronged aim: strengthening regional cooperation, identifying future joint actions, and fostering solidarity with and among post-conflict societies. “This meeting is timely. We are facing many challenges. The latest report by the Commissioner for Human Rights, Miss Dunja Mijatović, has highlighted some crucial negative trends in the region, including the increasing glorification [of war criminals] and revisionism by political and intellectual elites,” said Velma Šarić, President and Founder of the PCRC. Šarić discussed the rise in hate speech, the persecution of activists, segregated educational systems, the destructive transgenerational dimension of conflict, gender-based violence, and the distortion of narratives through the media. These are just some of the issues the Western Balkans face. As a result, she added, it is crucial to strengthen solidarity between civil society representatives and the international community in order to identify common actions, strategies, and methodologies for the Western Balkans Coalition for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Crimes Prevention (CGMAP). The CGMAP was established by the PCRC and the United Nations (UN) in 2017, in order to facilitate transnational collaboration to prevent atrocities. This followed six years of PCRC-led seminars on genocide prevention, attended by more than 120 civil society organizations. Resisting Revisionism and Triumphalism The topic of revisionism and genocide triumphalism was addressed in the panel entitled “Civil Society & Prevention: Tackling Increased Denial and Revisionism”. The sentiments expressed during the panel were also echoed by keynote speakers outside of the panel. Thomas Unger from Impunity Watch said he regards the rise in denial and revisionism as a symptom of the failures of both domestic governments and the international community. “The primary responsibility lies with the governments. Additionally, I believe that the international community has made a lot of mistakes here. It’s interesting to see that the failures of the international community, especially in transitional justice, are always left out,” concluded Unger. Sonja Biserko from the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia emphasized the importance of civil society in the region as well as international groups, individuals, journalists, and others who contributed to research during the 1990s Balkan Wars. She added that the wars were the most documented in history, but that now is the time to confront misinterpretations. “Civil society plays a crucial role in the process of facing the past and building a future based on truth and justice,” said Biserko. The importance of civil society was echoed in a video message to the attendees of the general conference by Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide of the UN Secretary-General. Nderitu addressed representatives of civil society, who themselves often represent victims and survivors. “Together, you’ve been at the forefront of advocating and promoting accountability and of supporting reconciliation, memorialization, and remembrance. And for this you have endured challenges and often no risks. I commend your work and your courage in the face of many challenges,” stated Nderitu. She reminded the conference that it has been almost two decades since the end of violent conflict in the region and almost 30 years since the genocide in Srebrenica, highlighting the growing need for collective efforts to facilitate atrocity prevention. “The lack of accountability and full reconciliation, as well as the ongoing distortion and denial of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, all point to indicators of risk for such crimes as set out in the framework of analysis for atrocity crimes developed by my office, which I know your coalition is using to advance your work in the region,” said Nderitu. She emphasized that monitoring, analyzing, and ringing alarm bells are what is needed for civil society to not be passive in the presence of risk factors. Nataša Kandić from the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) highlighted the difficulties faced by civil society in the region, emphasizing that after more than a decade, it is confronted with empty promises from the authorities. “Civil society, especially from the RECOM reconciliation network, continues to do a good job.